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Lip balm is a winter essential for me as I hate when my lips get dry. I also like festive cosmetics as I love the scents that remind me of Christmas hence as soon as I found The Body Shop Vanilla Spiced Lip Balm on offer, I bought it.

It comes ina small, round and metal pot which has a pale yellow colour. This fairly simple to open pot (though I really struggled with opening it after I put some hand cream on) contains 15ml of creamy lip balm that is meant to smell of vanilla. The lip balm is surprisingly thick and rich so I only needed to apply a little bit. I had to be really careful about the amount applied - when I put a little bit on, it gave me lips a really lovely and delicate gloss whereas if I applied a little bit more, it looked white, tasteful and gave me a bit of a ghost-like look which could be more appropriate for Halloween. Application is a bit annoying - I usually use my finger to do that so I either need to wash my hands or use a tissue to remove the leftover balm from my finger.

The lip balm has a rather pleasant smell, it definitely smells of vanilla (a bit like vanilla ice cream but much more intense) but I didn't find it very festive. I cannot really say I liked it or disliked it.

I was using it regularly throughout the day but I didn't find the it moisturised my lips at all - in fact, I was under the impression that they were getting more dry! I found that initially my lips became softer (whcih was definitely a good thing) but in the long run, I didn't like that they became dry. I now use it occassionally with other products as I don't like to chuck things away but I won't be buying it again.

I didn't really like the taste of it (which is a good thing as otherwise it would disappear rather quickly!) but I didn't dislike it either (it happened before that I just couldn't stand the taste of the lip balm).

One pot costs £4 and seems to last forever even with regular use. It can be bought from the Body Shop both online and in-store around Christmas time.

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Crabtree & Evelyn is a company that has been around since 1972 and specializes in luxurious toiletries. As such, their products are quite expensive (especially if you are a student on a tight budget!) but I managed to get a couple of freebies which included Ultra-Moisturising Iris Hand Therapy from their Hand Care Collection.

The cream was packed in a little cardboard box which made it look really luxurious and special. It comes in a metal (as opposed to plastic) tube with a white lid. The tube has a lovely lilac colour and a picture of iris at the front. At the back we can find some further information about the product. I would call the look of the tube quite minimalistic which I really like.

The cream itself has a white colour and a divine scent. It smells of iris and isn't at all aritficial, is very pleasant and feminine but not overwhelming. I immediately fell in love with it. It is very easy to use: just apply a little (and I mean a little as it does go a long way) on your hands and massage it in. I normally use a handcream before going to bed as I don't like the sticky feeling on my hands however with this one it wasn't a problem - the cream is fairly quickly absorbed so I've been using it throughout the day as well.

According to the producer, this hand therapy contains macadamia nut oil, shea buter and iris extract, all of which are meant to moisturise, hydrate and soothe hands. This cream has definitely made my hands softer however I am not convinced that it is a brilliant moisturiser. When my hands got very dry this winter, I used it a lot and I felt that it could have worked better as I had to re-apply very often to keep my hands reasonably moisturised. Overall, I felt that it is quite an average product for a fairly high price (£9.00 for 50ml or £14.00 for 100ml).

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As I mentined in some of my previous reviews, I like to have my cosmetics in sets - hence whenever I get a body butter, I need a shower gel to go with it. I was glad that my Champneys Spa Comforting Body Butter came in a set with a shower gel.

The showerl gel itself comes in a see-through plastic tube with a golden flip-top lid at the bottom - very practical (no need to turn it outside down when running out and it's easy to see how much of it there's left in the tube). The shower gel itself has orange-creamy colour. In general, the appearance of the tube is in the same style as the appearance of the body butter pot and looks fairly luxurious.

The scent of this shower gel is simply gorgeous: mild, femine and comforting. According to the producer, the shower gel contains coconut oil and milk proteins, I can vaguely sense both of these The scent stays around for a couple of hours but it's so delicate you can barely sense it. I always use my favourite fragrance straight after shower and the scents don't mix.

The shower cream is fairly creamy and rich - as you would expect from a shower cream! I normally use it with a shower puff and I had no problems whatsoever creating lather. It cleanses really well and leaves my skin feeling refreshed, it is also easy to rinse off.

As mentioned above, it contains nourishing coconut oil and milk proteins that are meant to moisturise and soften the skin. Indeed, my skin was pleasant to touch and quite soft after I used it but I didin't notice that it's moisturised my skin. I usually used the body butter after showering to ensure that my skin has been hydrated.

It is a good shower gel but despite the fact that it's been described as 'luxurious', I don't feel it has worked on my skin any differently to cheaper shower gels/creams. It normally costs £6.00 for a 200ml tube in Boots which I find is a bit too expensive for a fairly average product.

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I bought this hand cream to complete my collection of Heathcote & Ivory Vanilla and Brown Sugar toiletries (which already included the shower gel and the body butter) and I was using for the past couple of months.

This hand cream comes in a tube with a lid at the bottom which is very convenient as there is no need to turn it upside down when running low on it. The tube is see through so it's easy to see how much of this hand cream is left in it. There is some basic information on the front with further information (such as ingredients) at the back of the tube.

The hand cream itself has a creamy colour (that's what I would probably expect of something that is meant to smell of vanilla and brown sugar) and a reasonably thick and rich texture meaning that I don't need to use much of it each time.

I would normally use this hand cream before going to bed as it takes some time for my skin to absorb it - otherwise my hands would be quite sticky (and it's not due to using too much of this cream - I tried using different amounts). I tried using it throughout the day but I'm normally running around a lot so it didn't work so well.

It smells lovely - the scent is quite sweet but not very artificial; it clearly smells of vanilla and reminds me of Christmas! The scent isn't too overwhelming either but I can still sense it after some time.

Having used the cream in the evening, my hands would be nice and soft in the morning. Unfortunately, weirdly enough I realised that this is not a very good moisturiser. After a couple of weeks of using it, my hands became much drier and I had to use a different moisturiser throught the day. According to the producer, it contains shea butterm vitamin E and glycerin to moisturise and soften hands - in my case, it only worked for the latter.

Unfortunately, I won't be buying this hand cream again - I need a good moisturiser. I bought this cream from the Heathcote & Ivory website for £3.50 for 120 ml. This hand cream has not been tested on animals and doesn't contain and sulfates or parabens.

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I usually tend to stick to the Body Shop body butter but having been given some Champneys Spa toiletries as a present, I decided to be slightly more ''adventurous'' and started exploring their cosmetics. I haven't heard of Champneys Spa before and I quickly learnt that this is a chain offering spa breaks all over the country.

This body butter comes in a round, plastic see-through pot with a golden screw-on lid. It is fairly simple but practical and I was surprised to see that it actually doesn't contain that much information about the product.

It has a cream colour and a lovely creamy but fairly thick texture. I absolutely love the scent: very subtle, feminine and a bit like baby powder. It is very pleasant and I really like it; it lasts a really long time (but I still can apply my favourite fragrance and it doesn't create a weird mixture altogether because the scent of the body butter is quite mild), making both my skin and my room smell lovely.

It is very easy and pleasant to apply: just spread it all over your skin and massage it in. It is easily absorbed so I happily use it both in the morning and in the evening. It contains a blend of olive oil, shea, mango and cocoa butters and lingonberry oil. I am not entirely sure what this combination should smell like hence I cannot comment on it but as I mentioned above, the scent is lovely. These ingredients are meant to calm the skin and leave it soft and supple. I entirely agree with this (though I have only normal to dry skin whereas this body butter is intended even for really dry skin); it left my skin really well moisturiser, soft and extremely pleasant to touch. It doesn't leave a greasy or sticky after-feeling which is an additional plus.

Overall, this is a very good body butter. It can be bought in Boots (I haven't seen it in Superdrug) and 300ml normally costs £10.00 which I think is quite a lot.

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I am not entirely sure why but my feet have a tendency to become really dry and rough very quickly. Cracked heels are quite painful and visually unappearing so to avoid them, I try to use a good foot cream or lotion. The Body Shop Peppermint Intensive Foot Rescue is one of my recent purchases that I have been using on fairly regular basis.

It comes in a small, round and plastic pink pot with a blue sticker both on the lid and around it. The colours of the pot are pretty much in line with the entire range and the sticker includes all the necessary information.

The cream itself has a pale-pink colour and a fairly intense (but not overwhelming) peppermint scent. I am not a great fan of peppermint but I must admit I really like this one; it's very refreshing and not at all artificial.

Unsurprisingly, this foot rescue has a fairly thick texture and thanks to that, I really don't need to use much of it each time which definitely helps it go a longer way. It is very easy to use: just apply and spread some of it on your feet. I usually use it in the evening as I cannot wait for it to dry; normally it takes some time to absorb.

According to the producer, this cream contains cocoa butter, peppermint oil and grape acids. These are supposed to soften hard skin and prevent cracked heels. I was very pleased to realise that these promises are kept. I have been using it only for a couple of weeks but after several days I realised that my feet became noticeably softer and there is no sign of cracked heels appearing. It is also very refreshing and moisturising.

Unfortunately, it is quite expensive - £9.00 for a 100ml pot however it does go a long way. I got mine on offer - it's well worth the price though.

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Exfoliating the dead skin cells is extremely important for me as it helps to make my skin look fresher and feel smoother. I bought the Body Shop Mango Body Scrub amongst the other cosmetics from the range.

It comes in a round, plastic tub which is quite see-through and the lid is orange. The lid also has a sticker with all the basic information whereas further info about the product is at the bottom of the tub. Overall, the pot is very robust, it doesn't slip out of my hands (even if they are wet because I'm in the shower), and it's easy to see how much of it there is left.

The scrub itself has also orange colour. What really disappointed me here was the scent: it definitely smells different to the rest of the range; I find it hard to describe the scent but it isn't as sweet and authentic as the body butter. I simply found it a bit weird but fortunately, it isn't overly strong and disappeears fairly quickly. The promised ''exotic mango scent'' turned out to be slightly too exotic for me here!

It has a very thick and rich texture (which means that I won't use too much of it in one go - definitely helps it go a longer way!). It very much felt for me like sugar mixed with some oil: it's a hard scrub. According to the producer, it effectively removes dead skin cells, stimulates cell microcirculation and leaves skin feeling soft and smooth. I do feel it's an effective scrub, my skin felt smoother and softer after using it. It doesn't lather up very much (at least, I didn't manage to produce a lot of foam) but that doesn't stop it from working quite well. It doesn't feel too harsh on the skin but at the same time, I can feel it working. It is very easy to use: I just had to massage it onto my skin. I haven't noticed if my skin has been better moisturised because of this scrub though.

Overall, this scrub has worked quite well but I don't really like the scent that much. The pot goes quite a long way and 200ml costs £12.50 and can be bought from the Body Shop, both in-store and online.

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I love trying new toiletries and I usually buy the whole range, hence I had to get the mango shower gel to go with my body butter. Thankfully, I managed to buy it on sale as normally I find the Body Shop products somewhat out of my price range.

The shower gel comes in a standard, see-through plastic bottle with a flip-open lid at the top. It is fairly robust so I am sure that if I drop it (happens quite often), I won't break the bottle. The bottle is easy to use and it doesn't slip out of my hands when in the shower. The shower gel itself is orange so I can easily so how much there is left in the bottle.

When I open the bottle, I can immediately smell the shower gel. As with most of the Body Shop shower gels, the scent is reather intense but not overwhelming. It is fairly sweet but not very artificial and I really like it. Upon leaving the shower, it gradually fades away so I don't normally have a problem with using my favourite parfume or eau de toilette.

It has a fairly thick texture which makes it go quite a long way. It is easy to lather up (especially using a sponge or a shower puff) and it cleanses really well, leaving skin feeling refreshed and soft. It rinses off really easily as well - so in short, it does a really good job!

It definitely doesn't dry the skin however I don't think it moisturises (which I don't expect anyway). It does make the skin quite soft and pleasant to touch though.

The shower gel is soap free and it contains mango seed. The bottle is recyclable and the shower gel has not been tested on animals.

The shower gel can be bought from the Body Shop both in-store and online, 200ml bottle costs £4.00 and 400ml bottle costs £5.50.

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I always ensure I have good moisturiser with an SPF therefore when I was buying cosmetics from the Body Shop Seaweed range, Matifying Moisture Lotion SPF 15 felt like a must.

It comes in a white tube with a flip-top lid at the bottom (which I find very convenient - no turning upside down when I start to run out of the product) which is covered in a turqouise sticker with all the necessary information. What I don't like about the packaging is that I cannot see how much product there is left.

This lotion has a lovely, mild scent (none of the products from the range smell like actual seaweed) which disappears really quickly. What really surprised me about this lotion is its texture - I expected it to be lighter and not as rich, especially compared to the cream. It is very easy to use: just apply some of the lotion onto your fingers and gently massage into your face skin.

According to the producer, this lotion will provide oil-balance, moisturisation and UVA/UVB protection. I have a combination skin (which is dry on my cheeks and forehead whilst my nose is normally shiny) and I must admit that it provided really good moisturisation. My skin also felt really soft and smooth. Unfortunately, it did not reduce the shine at all which was what I was hoping for. As the name claims that it is a matifying product (which clearly it isn't), it turned out to be a real disappointment for me.

Even though it doesn't matify, it gets absorbed by the skin fairly quickly. I wear make up every day and I am quite glad that I don't need to wait too long before applying foundation (or matifying powder in this case!). I also felt that it didn't make any difference if it comes to my pores or blemishes (though my skin thankfully doesn't really have problems with these).

The lotion is quite expensive - £10.00 for a 50ml tube however it does go quite a long way. It can be bought from the Body Shop in-store or online.

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Seaweed Clarifying Night Treatment is one of the skincare products from the Body Shop Seaweed range which I didn't initially purchase - I later decided that it may be a good idea to have it.

It comes in a clear plastic container with a pump action dispenser at the top - which makes it very easy to use; the pump always dispenses the exactly right amount of the serum and I can also see how much of the serum is left. The bottom part of the container lifts as I use the serum up. The container has a turquoise sticker which contains all the necessary information.

This treatment smells exactly like the rest of the range: nothing like seaweed. It has a lovely, subtle and mild scent which I would think is slightly feminine (but that may be just my impression) though I am sure it is suitable for both sexes. It disappears really quickly. The serum itself is see-through and the texture isn't very rich - it is quite runny (not quite like water though). Therefore I am glad it has a pump dispenser as otherwise I would apply way too much of it.

I usually applied the treatment after washing my face with the seaweed cleanser and using the toner. It is very easy to apply: you need to press the pump which will dispense the exactly right amount of the serum on your fingers and then spread it evenly across your face.

This serum is suitable for oily and combination skin (mine is the latter) and the producer promises that it will clarify the problem areas and hydrate dry zones. It is also oil free. Unfortunately, I found that the product didn't work very well for me. Within minutes of applying it, my skin (especially the dry zones as they say - mainly my cheeks) felt really tight and dry whilst my nose was shining even more than before the application! This persisted until the morning (even though it didn't feel as bad as it did in the evening) but I need to admit that my skin felt much softer and smoother.

As such, I don't feel the serum has really worked for me and I won't be buying it again. One container costs £10.00 and contains 30ml of the serum which does go a long way (it took me three months to finish mine and I used it every night hoping it eventually start working).

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It seems to me that not very many people use toners however I follow the three-step skin care rule (cleanse, tone, moisturise) and there always need to be one on my bathroom shelf. When I was completing the Seaweed skin care, I obviously bought the Seaweed Clarifying Toner.

This toner was created for combination or oily skin. It comes in a clear plastic bottle which is fairly robust and has a white lid at the top. It also has a turquoise sticker with all the necessary information both in English and in French.

The toner itself is see-through (looks like water), has a lovely, mild scent (nothing could be further from seaweed!) - just like the rest of the range and has a very runny texture (just like water). To be honest, I didn't expect anything different than that.

It is very easy to use: having cleansed my skin, I spill a little bit of the toner on a cotton pad and press against my skin. It immediately feels fresh without the annoying feeling of dryness (as it did with the cleanser).

The producer promises that it minimises pores, removes impurities and reduces excess oil. I didn't really see any minimised pores (but thankfully my pores aren't very big any way), the impurities have definitely been removed (I once even tried using it as a make-up remover however it didn't work so well - it still removed it but it seemed so much more difficult than with a normal make-up remover) and the oil has been reduced even though my T-zone (especially nose) was still shiny. I am aware that a toner is also meant to prepare the skin for the moisturiser - indeed, I felt that the skin absorbed the moisturiser better (and didn't feel as dry) if I had applied the toner earlier.

It contains Community Trade seaweed and is oil-free. Unfortunately I feel it didn't work that well for me and I will not be buying it again. One bottle is 200ml, costs £7 and goes quite a long way (I just finished one and have been using it for the past three-four months twice a day).

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Every day skin care is extremely important that's why I recently decided to check what skin type I have and buy a range of skin care products. I found out that I have combination skin and I was recommended the Body Shop Seaweed range (which is specifically for oily and/or combination skin type). I normally start my skin care with cleansing therefore this was the first product to go to shopping basket.

It comes in a see-through plastic tube with a lid at the bottom (which I find very practical as I don't need to turn it upside down when running low on it and can also see how much is left). There is a turqouise sticker on the tube (this colour is characteristic for the whole range) which on the front provides basic information (so you don't accidentally mix it up with other cosmetics) and at the back has more information (including ingredients). The wash itself has an extremely pale yellow colour (almost see-through).

Even though at first I thought that the scent of seaweed may put me off, I was wrong. It is really lovely: very mild, subtle and feminine. In fact, it doesn't smell of seaweed at all - though I am not entirely sure how to describe the scent.

The wash is fairly thick, which means that I need only a little bit each time I use it and it really goes a long way. It lathers up really well. According to the producer, it should help rebalance moisturise and sebum levels, remove make-up and impurities and give a shine-free, matte finish. Unfortunately, I cannot agree with that. Even though it left my skin feeling really refreshed and soft, it felt really dry at the same time. My nose was still shiny whereas my cheeks felt extremely dry. I normally remove make-up before using a facial wash but when I don't do it properly, this facial wash definitely removes leftover make-up from my skin.

Unfortunately, because it made my skin feel so dry (which wasn't very pleasant), I will not be buying it again - it simply didn't work for me.

If you still feel tempted to buy it, it costs £7.00 for 100ml and can be bought from the Body Shop, both online and in-store.

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As I mentioned in some of my previous reviews, I like having my toiletries in sets. That's why when I bought the Heathcote & Ivory Vanilla and Brown Sugar Shower Gel, the Body Butter had to follow.

It comes in a small, round plastic pot which is very easy to open (you just twist the lid). The pot itself is see-through whereas the body butter has a pale yellow colour so I can just about see how much of it is left. As expected, the basic information about the product is on the lid with further information at the back. Similarly to the shower gel, the font is mostly yellow which (especially at the bottom of the pot) makes it difficult to read.

Having opened the pot and smelled the body butter, I immediately fell in love with the scent. It is very sweet but fairly delicate meaning it's not overwhelming; I can definitely sense vanilla here and I think the brown sugar gives it a sweet note. What I really like about it is that even though I feel it makes my skin smell lovely, it fades away fairly quickly meaning I don't get sick of it.

It has a very rich texture - I would even say it's a bit too rich and it's difficult to massage it into the skin. When I put it on the heater, it melts slightly and is easier to apply. It contains shea butter, vitamin E and glycerin that are meant to leave my skin soft and smooth. Indeed, this is the case. I could see the difference after the first use: my skin became visibly softer. It is also a very good moisturiser (my skin is normal with tendency to get dry in certain places such as elbows) and it really does hydrate skin after one use.

The body butter doesn't contain any parabens or sulphates.

Unfortunately, the pot (120ml) doesn't go a very long way meaning that with the price of £4.50 (online), it isn't a cheap body butter. Therefore even though I really enjoyed using it, I will not be buying it again.

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I usually stock up on shower gels and other toiletries when they are on offer and I really like trying new things. This is how the Heathcote & Ivory Bath & Body Vanilla and Brown Sugar Shower Gel ended up on my bathroom shelf.

The shower gel comes in a see-through, plastic tub with a lid at the bottom which I really like (no need to turn it upside down when I start to run out of it). The only thing that annoys me a little is that at the back the ingredients list and some other information are written in orange-yellow colour making it really difficult to read as the shower gel itself has a yellowish colour.

What I was mostly intrigued about if it comes to this shower gel, was its scent. It didn't disappoint. It is very sweet (almost sickening I would say) but not overwhelming and it genuinely smells of vanilla (I am not entirely sure about the brown sugar however I am assuming that it adds to the vanilla this extreme sweetness). Because it is so sweet, I am glad it doesn't stay on my skin for too long and isn't too overwhelming. I also think that this is the perfect scent for winter and pre-Christmas period.

The shower gel lathers up really well and is a very good cleanser - simply, it does its job as a shower gel really well. According to the producer, this shower gel contains moisturising glycerin and it promises to leave your skin soft and smooth. I didn't notice any moisturisation however it definitely didn't leave my skin dry (which is always a good thing). Also, my skin is normally quite soft as I use a body butter/lotion so I cannot really comment on that.

This shower gel has not been tested on animals. It doesn't contain any parabens or sulphates. Overall, it is a very pleasant product and it makes me think of Christmas. Unfortunately, the standard price (£5.50 for 250ml from their website) seems a bit too high for me.

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Having bought Coco de Mer body butter, I couldn't not buy Ooh La La Naked Coco De Mer Body Wash. It comes in a 250ml bottle with a lid at the top. The bottle is fairly see-through (which I like, because being a control freak, I like to know how much product I have left) and contains basic information about the product on the front, with further information about the company, their ethics and ingredients of this body wash at the back.

In case someone doesn't know how to use it, there is a brief description at the back ('rub onto wet skin and use a buff puff for more lather. Rinse off'). The body wash has a baby pink colour and I really like its texture - it isn't very runny but it isn't overly thick either.

According to the producer, 'moisturising coconut derivatives and passion fruit flower extract produce a rich creamy lather'. In fact, this wash lathers up pretty well however given the description, not as well as I expected (I need to add that I normally use a shower puff for better lather). I am not entirely sure how moisturising it is - it definitely doesn't dry the skin but I wouldn't call it moisturising as I still needed to use a body butter, especially for more dry places like my elbows.

The body wash has a fairly intense, rich scent. I can definitely sense coconut and passion fruit there but it's probably one of the worst scents I have smelled in my life. I am honestly not a fan and I don't know anyone who likes this scent (I tried giving it to some of my friends).

One good side of this body wash is that it is made without any sulphates, parabens or petrochemicals. It also isn't tested on animals and 97% of ingredients are natural. Despite the good company's ethics, I will not be buying it again as I can find many more good shower gels for this price (£3.99 online for a 250ml bottle).